CanOne ... Jul12

Can-One Bhd acquired F&B Nutrition Sdn Bhd, the original equipment manufacturer of sweetened condensed milk, in 2006 and this has seen a strong value-added impact to the group.

Evidently, the revenue contribution from its food products segment to the total sales had increased from zero to 60% within a short span of six years representing a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 107%, and has for the first time in 2011, contributed more than the general cans sales to the group.

Furthermore, as its food products are carried in Can-One's own manufactured cans, this also actually helps its general cans segment to grow further, which has a higher margin of ranging from 7% to as high as 30% (on quarterly basis) as compared with the food products segment (2%-7%).

Market observers do not rule out any potential synergies between Can-One and Kian Joo after the acquisition of the associate stake and with two directors of Can-One now sitting on the board of Kian Joo.

Considering that Can-One is one of the market leaders of general cans while Kian Joo is one of the market leaders of aluminum cans in the domestic market, many synergies between the two could be reaped in the future, which will likely help both companies to grow further locally and regionally together especially under the stewardship of their professional management teams. For instance, there could be cost savings where raw materials could be bought in bulk to bring down the cost per unit, which would help both companies to expand their margins as well as bottom lines.

Can-One's revenue grew by 39% year-on-year while its core net profit (NP) more than doubled to about RM10.1mil in first quarter of 2012.

It is worth nothing that even without the Kian Joo stake, Can-One's existing business itself is already worth RM3.15.